The Duet Project
by TogetherWeCanFly
Summary: AU. For years, Katniss has been considered the worst dancer in her class. When she is assigned a duet and instructed to find her own partner, she takes it as her chance to finally prove herself and get her teacher off her back. Unfortunately, there only seems to be one boy up for the challenge. Co-written with OneMillionHeartsForYou.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi there! Well, this is obviously AU and it might be a bit OOC. But we do believe that this story has potential! I hope you think so, too!**

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It is not enough to glide like a ghost, fly like a bird, or turn like a top. Perfect posture could still use improvement, and hyper-extended legs are not straight enough. Nothing is ever enough here. It has been years, and I still wonder why my aunt Maysilee sent me here. I told her I would stay out of her way and be especially quiet while she was having a headache, but she told me it would be silly to keep her god-child while she sent her _real _child off. And of course, she had to throw in the fact that the Dance Academy of Panem is one of the most prestigious performing arts schools in the country.

Prestigious_._ Throw that word in front of anything, and suddenly rich people will want it.

I sigh heavily, as I look around the courtyard. The sun continues to burn me relentlessly, making me wish that I had actually taken the time to change out of my thick leotard and tights. I fan myself with my letter, as Madge jogs over to me from the front door. A chuckle escapes me, as I watch her. Even running, she stays on her toes, her knees locked, her back straight.

"Jazz runs?" I ask, as she comes closer to me.

"Do you always have to make fun of the way I run?"

"Well, if you're gonna make it so easy for me."

She rolls her eyes and starts walking again. I follow her, as we head for the streets. Plenty of the students in the courtyard wave goodbye to Madge, completely ignoring me. Of course, I'm used to it, but I still hate that some people can be so rude. I mean, I know my posture sucks and my legs are never straight enough, but is that really a reason to treat me like a disease?

"So, how was your last class?" Madge asks, as she searches for her water bottle in her dance bag.

"Oh, great."

"Really?" She raises an eyebrow warily.

"Of course! I mean, I just love how high-pitched and screechy Effie's voice gets when she yells at me, don't you?"

"Well, maybe she wouldn't have to get all _high-pitched and screechy_ if you would just listen to her." Now, it's my turn to roll my eyes, but she tries again. "She is your teacher, after all."

"Whatever," I mutter.

She sighs exasperatedly, but she knows better than to keep talking. As we round the corner, I let out my own sigh of relief, as the bakery comes into view. The one place where I can finally breathe and stand on my flat feet for a moment. Madge looks at me curiously, as I cross in front of her and jog in the direction of the cinnamon-scented oasis.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Just stopping for something to eat."

"Absolutely not!" she snaps, grabbing my wrist. "The showcase is coming up, you know that! No cakes, no carbs, no sweets!"

"You know, it makes me sick when you quote Effie."

"Katniss," she groans. "I mean it, no sweets! Just not for now. I promise, after the end of the year show, you can have whatever you want. I'll even buy it for you. Just not now, okay? Please? If you get fat, Effie's gonna kill all of us. You know that."

"Ugh..." I shake my head, wishing that I had never set foot in that god-forsaken school. "Fine."

"Thank you." She sighs, as she lets go of my wrist. "Now, can we please go home?"

She continues to walk, not even waiting for an answer. As I start to follow her, I look up at the bakery, only to find someone watching me through the window. His curly blonde hair nearly falls into his piercing blue eyes, as he stares back at me. While I walk along with Madge, I still feel his gaze on me. And suddenly, self-conscious as always, I _really_ wish that I had changed out of my leotard and tights.

* * *

I watch, as the mayor opens up the letter that Effie had instructed me to give him. He reads it carefully, as I rest my chin on the table and tug at the edges of the golden place mat beneath me. There is nothing to do now but wait for his reaction. Of course, he is never pleased when he receives these letters, but there is really nothing that I can do about it. It is really his fault for putting me in that stupid school, when I told them over and over again that I did not want to dance.

"Katniss." He sits down in the chair on the other side of the table, but I refused to look at him. "Would you like to tell me what's going on?"

"I don't know," I mutter into my arm. "Effie hates me."

"Effie is one of the most qualified dance teachers in this country." He laughs humorlessly. "If she hated you, you wouldn't be in her class." I simply shrug, so he continues. "Tell me the truth, now. What's going on? You're always telling me you'll work harder, and then days later, I get these letters saying that you don't even seem to care when you're in class. Now-"

"Why _should _I care about that class? I didn't have a choice." I sat up and narrowed my eyes on him. "I'm not just a second Madge. I have my own interests. I don't want to dance. I don't even know why you guys had to-"

"Katniss, you know very well why we did this." My mouth snaps shut, as he sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. "You know what your father wanted for you."

I look down at the mention of my father. He reaches out for my hand, but I pull it away as my own small way of telling him that he crossed the line.

"Nobody knows what he wants," I mutter. "Nobody can."

"Katniss..." he trails off, as his phone chimes from his pocket. He quickly presses a button to silence it. "I have a meeting to get to."

"Fine."

He stands up and holds the letter in front of me.

"I don't want to see these anymore, all right?"

"No promises."

He stares at me for a moment, as if he means to say something else. But he decides against it. He walks away, and I refuse to look at him, as tears form in my eyes. Instead, I just stare at the wall across from me, silently cursing Effie for giving me the letter that started this. After what seems like hours, Prim slowly tip-toes into the kitchen until she is in my line of vision and looks at me with her wide, concerned eyes.

"Is everything all right?" she asks.

"Fine." I sigh, as I stand up and hug her close to me. "Let's just go to bed, okay?"

She nods slowly and follows me up the stairs to the room that our god-parents hastily made up for us just years ago. Madge had offered to share her room with Prim so that I could have my own room, but I turned that down. I wanted to stay with Prim. And on nights like this, when I lay next to her and whisper about my horrible day, I know that I made the right choice.

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**Thus concludes the first chapter! Stay tuned for more dancer problems and mysterious blonde bakery boys and whatnot!**

**And remember to review to tell us what you think! Stay lovely!**

**~ OneMillionHeartsForYou & TogetherWeCanFly**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry, I'm taking so long! I'm just so busy, and I keep getting sick. :( **

**Anyway, happy Passover and Easter and any other holiday that I missed! For those holidays, here is my gift to you! X)**

**To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but I hope you like it! Read and Enjoy! 3**

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"Point! Straighten! Are you deaf?" Effie screams at me from across the room.

I simply roll my eyes in response, as I continue to dance with my group. The classical music, although it was probably meant to be calming, is completely unnerving, and the sound of Effie's shrill voice does not exactly help me focus. As always, my legs are never straight enough, and if I'm not up on my toe nails, she says my feet are too flat.

"Watch it," I mutter, as the star of the class kicks, her leg flying right in front of me.

"Quiet, Katniss!" Effie yells.

What I would not give to run over to her and pull that stupid pink wig off of her big head.

The girl smirks, as she continues to dance. Glimmer. That girl is the bane of my existence. Of course, she loves talking to Madge, since two tall blonde girls together always make the teachers here happy. Whereas all of them grimace when they see me, no matter who I am with. Glimmer has even been at our house a couple of times to practice duets and group numbers with Madge. And what kind of guest would she be if she did not make herself comfortable by telling the mayor that I was definitely _trying_.

Years ago, I could have beaten this bimbo in seconds. If they had put us on stage together, I would have danced circles around her and sent her home, crying. But that is all over now.

"All right, stop."

Effie presses a button to stop the music, and all of us line up subconsciously. She looks at all of us, her eyes traveling from one to the next, until she stops and stares at my face. When she lets out an exasperated sigh, I already know what is coming next.

"Katniss." She holds out the remote that controls the stereo. "Out."

I grit my teeth together and grab the remote, ignoring the sound of Glimmer and her friends giggling behind me. With the remote in hand, I walk to the corner of the room and sit down, waiting for Effie to cue me. She waves her hand so that the girls will return to their starting position. As soon as she looks at me, I jab the button on the remote, and the music begins to play. Once again, I watch from my spot in the corner, as they begin to perform the dance again.

"See, Katniss?" Effie says without looking back at me. "See how straight their legs are? See how they point their toes? Don't look at the ground, Clove! Good, very good. See that?"

"Yes," I nearly growl when she looks at me.

"Look at you!" She points at one of the girls, ignoring me completely. "You're an entire beat ahead! Katniss, make the music louder please. They can barely hear it."

There. My one chance at revenge, and so I take it. I press the button on the remote to increase the volume of the music. Effie holds up her hand, telling me to stop, but I continue to push the button down. The music begins to hurt my ears, and the girls begin to frown, but I just smirk, as I press it over and over again. Effie spins around, anger obvious on her face and yells something at me.

"Sorry, I can't hear you!" I yell back.

Her face is almost as red as a tomato, as she storms over to me and grabs the remote from my hand. The room goes quiet, as she stomps over to her bag, pulls out a note-pad, and scribbles something down on the paper. The silence becomes unbearable, and I wonder what she could possibly be writing that would take this long. Still, I hold out my hand when she returns to me, knowing that it is another letter for the mayor.

"You're dismissed," she hisses, as she stuffs the paper into my hand.

I pick up my dance bag from the side of the room before walking toward the door with my head up, ignoring the looks that the other girls give me. Unfortunately, it becomes difficult to ignore when I hear Effie mutter the words "spoiled" and "no manners" before I have even walked out of the room. Tears of anger begin to form in my eyes, as I throw open the front door and walk through the empty courtyard, not even bothering to wait for Madge. Not even caring that the mayor will be wondering why I am leaving class so early today.

I look down and realize that my hand is still wrapped around the paper in a death grip. Sighing, I try to relax my hand, as I turn the corner. And there it is. The one place where I don't have to worry about my bent legs or flat feet. The place where I am actually _encouraged_ to eat. The scent of cinnamon and sugar makes me walk toward it without even thinking, and the warmth I feel as I open the door automatically calms me. I could definitely make this my new hiding place.

"Hello!" I look up and see a familiar blonde boy smiling at me from behind the counter. "How can I help you?"

"Just looking," I murmur, as I continue to stare at him. "Do I know you?"

"I don't believe you could." He rubs the back of his neck, his smile still in tact. "I've been away for a while. Just got back a little while ago."

"No, I'm sure I've-"

"Anyway, we're having a sale today," he cuts in, as his cheeks turn pink. "These cupcakes, here. If you buy-"

"I've got it!" I snap my fingers, and his eyes widen slightly. "I saw you through the window on my way home. The other day-"

"No, I don't think-"

"You were staring right at me."

"I, erm... I must have zoned out."

"Huh."

"Yeah." He clears his throat. "Anyway, everything on this side is on sale."

As I pull my wallet out of my dance bag, I look down at the display case, hoping he will take it as a sign to go back to his work. Luckily, he does, and I let out a sigh of relief. As I reach into my wallet, I remember that I have yet to even look at the letter that Effie gave me. Unable to control my curiosity, I open it up and begin to read.

_Dear Mr. Undersee,_

_It is my obligation to inform you that Katniss has been very disrespectful in my class. She strives only to distract the other dancers and waste class time instead of working to better her technique. Most educators have encouraged me to permanently dismiss Katniss from my class. However, I have chosen to give her one last chance. Katniss is not yet strong enough to perform a solo, so I will allow her to choreograph and perform a duet with a partner of her choice._

"No!" I hiss before I can stop myself.

"Everything all right?"

My head shoots up, and I see the blonde boy staring at me again with concern in his eyes. I crumple up the paper, not even caring enough to read the rest and nod. He raises an eyebrow to show that he does not believe me, but I am unable to come up with something to say.

A duet! Effie knows very well that nobody in that school would dance with me. Nobody would take that risk. She is obviously setting me up to fail, yet everybody will say that she is just trying to help me. This is absolutely unbelievable. It's already done. I'm going to get kicked out of my class, and there is nothing I can do about it.

"Just great," I mutter.

"That's convincing."

He smiles slightly and walks around the counter to clean off the table near the door. I watch him, as he wipes the surface with the wash cloth, and I cannot help but notice that his arms look more muscular than those of the male dancers in my class. Not to mention, his skin is absolutely flawless, and his hair shines even without any light. He must look great onstage, but I doubt he has any experience.

_Wait a minute..._

I shake my head discreetly, reminding myself to focus on the problem at hand and not on this bakery boy. The sooner I get home and start working this out, the better. Maybe, the mayor will not even mind if I get kicked out of my classes... Maybe. With that in mind, I begin to walk back to the glass door.

"Was it something I said?"

When I look back and see the grin on his face, I realize that he is joking.

"No, I just..." I shrug, as my hand searches for the door. "I have to get going, and..."

"Do you dance like you talk?" I give him a look, and he smiles once again to show me that he is joking. "Ballerinas are always so graceful on the stage, but I've noticed that they don't seem to enjoy conversation quite as much as everyone else."

"How do you know I'm a ballerina?"

"Well, you're either a ballerina or a crazy person who likes to walk around in leotards and leg warmers." I roll my eyes. "Take your pick."

"You already know."

"Thought so." He smiles. "For how long?"

"Years," I say shortly. "Longer than you'd think."

"Well, that's impressive." He returns to the counter, giving me a moment to simply observe the thick blonde curls on his head. "Do you want to become a professional dancer?"

"No. I'll probably quit soon."

He looks at me again with furrowed eyebrows, and I stare right back at him, even though I want to look down. For some strange reason, the look on his face almost makes me feel ashamed that I have decided to quit, but I try to shake it off. Still, I find myself at a loss for words when he asks me the one obvious question.

"Why?"

I pull the strap of my dance bag further up on my shoulder and shrug. There are so many ways to answer that question. I could tell him I simply do not want to dance anymore or I could tell him the truth and break down in the middle of a bakery. But that option doesn't seem very appealing, so I settle for something in the middle.

"It's not what it used to be."

That is close to the truth, at least.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." I shrug, ignoring the obvious sympathy in his eyes. "Well, I'm sure it'll get better."

_I doubt it._

"Yeah, maybe." With that, I turn and grab the doorknob before he can stop me again. "I'll see you around."

"Are you sure you don't want anything?" He smiles when I look over my shoulder at him, but I simply shake my head in response. "Oh, well. Maybe next time. Have a nice day!"

"Thanks," I mutter, as I finally open the door and start walking out. "You, too."

The door shuts behind me, and the cool breeze feels almost too cold compared to the warmth of the bakery. Sighing, I continue on my way, knowing that I cannot stay in my hiding place forever. Unfortunately, I have barely taken five steps when I hear a voice behind me.

"Katniss!" I turn and see Madge running for me, her ponytail whipping back and forth, still on her toes. "What happened?"

"Guess."

"Kicked out? _Again_?" She rolls her eyes, as she stops in front of me. "Katniss, at this rate-"

"I know, Madge."

Crossing my arms over my chest, I look back at the bakery window, only to see that the bakery boy is looking at us. Madge follows my eyes and smiles, but he immediately looks down and continues working. She giggles and nudges me with her shoulder. And I cannot help but think how amazing it is that something as simple as _looking_ at a boy can get rid of her anger. Maybe, I could hold a boy band poster in front of her face every time she tries to argue with me.

"He's cute," she whispers, as if he could hear her.

"I guess. He's nice."

"Nice? Wait, nice?" Her eyes widen, and she grabs my shoulder. "You talked to him? You talked to a boy?"

"Madge!" I continue walking, and she nearly skips to keep up with me.

"Look, I'm just saying, that kid is cute." She looks over her shoulder at him one more time. "If you don't do something about it, I will."

The rest of the walk home is quiet. Which means that I have plenty of time to think about the strange pang of jealousy that I feel.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! Here I am writing this story again because I am facing serious writer's block with my other story, _Terrible Things_! And yes, it's me. Not OneMillionHeartsForYou. Because she's lazy. :P**

**It's kinda short because, again, I have horrible writer's block, but I hope you like it, anyway!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _A Doll's House _or _The Hunger Games_.**

**And now, on with the chapter! Read and Review!**

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As I saunter home to rest before my evening classes, I look over the letter that Effie gave me. Still, I have yet to show it to the mayor or anyone else, for that matter. Even telling Prim is not an option until I have a partner. That is, _i__f _I find a partner. Then again, me looking for a duet partner is like a little fish finding a shark that simply wants to be his friend. Still, it could be worse. When Madge first started, she was automatically paired with Glimmer. _I _could have been paired with Glimmer. I shudder at the thought.

Sighing, I shove the letter in my dance bag and straighten my short orange wrap skirt and pull up the straps of my red leotard. Unfortunately, red and orange are the school colors, and Madge suggested that I wear them to class to get on Effie's good side. If it were up to me, I would still be wearing my regular black leotards, but given my situation, pleasing Effie is actually pretty important.

I stop in front of the bakery and look into the window. As usual, the blonde bakery boy is working behind the counter. He looks up, but I look away before we can make eye contact. As my feet carry me to the door, I can still feel his eyes following me, but I never acknowledge them. That is, until I walk through the door.

"Hello, again." He smiles sweetly, as he leans against the counter. "Nice outfit."

"They're the school colors," I mutter as an explanation.

"Well, they look good on you." I look up to see if he is joking, but when I see the serious look on his face, I find myself blushing. "Almost looks like you're surrounded by fire. Just needs some yellow, that's all..."

"Right..."

"Let me guess, just looking?"

"Yes." I nod, my eyes scanning the display counter.

"You know, I think it's funny that I see you so often, yet I don't even know your name."

"Katniss." I glance at him and blush at the sight of his bright blue eyes looking back at me. "It's Katniss."

"Katniss..." he says quietly, looking down at his hands. "Don't you want to know my name?" After a few seconds of silence, he speaks again. "I'm Peeta. Peeta Mellark."

"Peeta?" I raise an eyebrow, wondering who would name their child Peeta, but he does not seem to notice.

"Nice to meet you!"

"You too."

He chuckles, as he continues his work. I watch from the corner of my eye, as he carries a bag of flour across the bakery and into the back room. Again, his muscular form catches my eye, how easily he simply lifts it over his shoulder and gracefully places it on the floor...

"So, how is dance going?" he asks over his shoulder.

"Wonderful..." I say without thinking.

"Is that so?" He grins at me, bringing me back to reality. "You know, I used to dance. Just a bit. Probably not the way you do, though."

"You?" I ask, unable to hide my disbelief. "You danced?"

"Come on, don't look at me like that." He smiled, and I could not help but return it. "I used to dance in the school plays as a kid. Not much, just simple things. You know, running around, jazz squares. All that good stuff. But then, I told you how I was away for a couple of years, yeah?" I nod, showing him that he can continue. "Well, while I was away, I met this girl named Delly. We became really good friends, so one day, she asked if I could be her partner for some dance competition. I didn't have to do much, you know? Just some lifts and things like that."

"Wow..." It escapes my mouth before I can stop it.

"Thanks." He chuckles. "It was pretty fun. It takes a _lot _of talent, I'll give you that. If she was a flower, I was a blade of grass, but it was still pretty interesting to be in such a garden at all."

"Is that from a book or something?"

"Nah, I just made it up." He shrugs at me. "Why, did you like it?"

I snort, making him smile proudly.

"Anyway, that's really... something," I say, my mind suddenly hatching a plan. "You know, I have this dance project coming up. My teacher wants me to do a duet, but I have to find my own partner." I glance up at him, making sure that I have gotten his attention. "The thing is, I have no idea who I could ask. I mean, nobody is free anymore."

_Nobody wants to be near me, _I think to myself.

"I see..." he says slowly, his eyes never leaving my face.

"I'm just so scared that I'm going to fail." I sigh, thinking back to my theater classes when my teacher gave me the challenge of being flirty, manipulative Nora from _A Doll's House. _"I wish there were more people like you, you know? Just so sweet and so kind to help your friend when she needed you. I wish I had someone like that..."

"Well, I mean... I could help you."

I look up at him and smile slightly, as he returns it nervously.

"Why?" I ask, feeling like myself again. "You don't even know me."

"Sure, I do!" At this, the nervous look disappears from his face, replaced by pleasant confidence. "Your name is Katniss, and you need a duet partner."

"So..." I flex and point my foot anxiously, knowing that he cannot see it. "You're really up for this, huh?"

"Absolutely!" He dusts his hand off on his apron before holding it out for me to shake. "Katniss, I would love to be our dance partner."

My cheeks begin to heat up again, as I place my hand in his large, callused one.

"Great." I nod, trying not to smile too much over the relief that I feel from finally having a partner. "Well, I guess we can start some time this week."

"Sounds wonderful!"

I nod and awkwardly bring my hand back to my side, as I slowly head toward the exit. Still, I can feel his eyes on me, and even though I cannot see him, I can just sense that he is still smiling.

"Hey, Katniss!" I look at him over my shoulder, just as my hand finds the doorknob. "You know, you come here pretty often. Maybe you should buy something one day?"

He grins at me, and I roll my eyes before walking through the exit. Still, I find myself biting my lip, all the way home, in an attempt to keep myself from smiling. It's so strange to think that I, Katniss Everdeen actually found a male duet partner that is actually willing to dance with me... for free. And more than that, an extremely pleasant boy with a kind personality. Not to mention, he will look absolutely striking onstage, even if he is there only to lift me. My hands search in my dance bag for the letter that Effie had given me some time ago. The letter that once made me feel horrible, the letter that I had to keep a secret. And now, as I look down at it. I can only smile. She thought I would fail. She thought I would not find anyone.

I cannot wait to see the look on her face.


End file.
